The FAKE (house)wives of Reality TV

An article by Mbewu Movement

I think we can all agree that there’s nothing better than veggying out on the weekend and watching useless reality television that makes us feel better about our lives and our problems. My penchant is the Real Housewives franchise specifically The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I love it! And I’m not ashamed to admit it. It’s just so damn entertaining! I escape to a world where women are constantly holidaying or lunching, where men are accessories and the drama never ends. It’s where I get my new catch phrases like “Girl, bye!” or “what’s the T?” or my latest favourite “Bye Felicia!” (You say it to someone who you are very happy to see leave or dismiss and when they look at you in confusion because chances are their name is not Felicia, you say “exactly b-bye!” because that’s how irrelevant they are). Now, I only use these terms in a tongue-in-cheek fashion with no malice, so please no hate. I sit on my bed or couch and act as judge, jury and executioner like I’m sure many of you do, it’s our right really.

But then there’s the other side- all the fights. The first couple of fights are entertaining but when this becomes a regular occurrence I lose interest and what used to be entertaining becomes very disturbing. My first thought is how these seemingly dignified women go from lunching and being “fabulous” (I use this term loosely) to dragging other women by their weaves/hair and shouting all kinds of obscenities?! Surely if cameras follow you all day, you would be more inclined to behave yourself? At least I would. However, a lot of the episodes are scripted or set up in such a way that conflict is highly likely to arise. My problem is, where the entertainment stops and the degradation of women begins. Why do these “wives” find it okay to physically assault someone for a pay cheque? Surely they should move to WWE, no? This type of behaviour was recently exhibited by Solange Knowles. We may not know the reasons behind her assault of Jay-Z but it doesn’t make it okay. We should hold the same standards for men and women, violence of any kind should not be tolerated.

As for the fake housewives, it may be for trash TV but is this image that we want the world to have of women? This small sample of women become a microcosm for those who have never interacted with (black) women before. However I think for many of us it actually serves as a guide on how not to act. So the next time you are in a heated confrontation, channel your inner Beyonce not (insert housewife/basketball wife name here) and give them face! Smile and keep it moving! 🙂